Dollhouse
by Fenrir Vanagandr
Summary: Sookie played with her dolls when her parents would fight. Her dolls comforted her, they helped her, they heard her. Behind a large painting there is a crack in the wall. The dolls are no longer on Sookie's shelf.
1. Cora & Elisabeth

**Authors Note: I do not own any of the characters in the SVM Universe, all rights belong to the author Charlene Harris.**

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" _Hey, girl, open the walls, play with your dolls  
We'll be a perfect family.  
When you walk away is when we really play  
You don't hear me when I say"_

 _~ Dollhouse – Melanie Martinez ~_

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 **Chapter 1 Cora and Elisabeth:**

Sookie stared out of her window, lying in bed. The gentle breeze softly touched her white curtains, as the moonlight filtered through. Sookie looked at the decaying tree outside her window. Why they don't just take that down, she thought, it's so creepy. Sookie sat up in her bed, glancing around her dimly lit room. I can't sleep, she muttered softly to herself. Another gentle breeze blew softly through the open window once again from Sookie's right, her shelf of dolls on the left. Sookie examined them, slightly smiling. Her dolls helped comfort her when she felt stressed or depressed.

It was close to midnight, just a few minutes away, if I just be quiet, they won't hear, she thought to herself. She sat at the edge of her bed, quietly standing up, grabbing two of her dolls, Cora and Elisabeth as she did so. They were the O'Riley sisters. Cora wore a long white dress with a soft pink ribbon tied neatly around her waist. Elisabeth was the antithesis to her sister, wearing a long black dress, finished with a black lace sash and shawl finished with red beading at the bottom. Their ash blonde hair hung in loose curls that fell to the middle of their backs. Sookie sat back down with the two dolls on her bed. Not too long after that, Sookie had to use the bathroom. She propped Cora and Elisabeth up against her pillow and hopped out of bed, quietly cracked open the door and left .

Sookie soon came back with a cup of milk, sipping on it as she went back to bed. As she set the glass down on the counter, she noticed something different about the dolls. They had switched places. "It's late, probably just my imagination." Sookie whispered to herself. She took a step closer towards the dolls, picking up her glass to take another sip of milk. Her mother taught her that it was dangerous to drink out of a cup and walk at the same time.

Sookie once again put the glass down again, before looking back to the dolls. Cora had her head slightly tilted and Elisabeth was sat, head turned towards Cora. Sookie froze, a chill slowly seeping down her spine. "Just my imagination, it's just my imagination." She tried to convince herself that what she was seeing was merely a figment of her imagination, but unfortunately no matter how many times she closed her eyes, the picture in front her remained the same. Sookie placed the now empty glass of milk on her dresser, positioned next to her shelf of dolls. She glanced once again back at the two dolls that lay innocently on her bed, both dolls now looking straight back at her. Breath momentarily escaped her as she hastily rushed towards the bed, grabbing the two dolls and placing them back on the top shelf from whence they came. Sookie took a step back, examining the shelf. Cora and Elisabeth looked just like the rest of the dolls now. I knew it was just my imagination, Sookie thought; the corner of her mouth quirked up slightly as she took in her collection, before turning around and climbing back into bed, facing the window, the cool breeze soothing her heated skin. She sighed and shivered, as the lingering nervousness slowly faded from her system. Sookie didn't like the fact that her back was to the dolls, but she knew looking at them wouldn't help either.


	2. Freddie

Morning soon came, shining through the open window in Sookie's room. She woke up with tired eyes for she got no sleep. She sat up in her bed anyway, rubbing her eyes and yawning. The warmth from the sun's rays were relaxing, the birds chirping calming her frazzled nerves and the gentle breeze coming through the open window was like a soothing balm to her soul.

Sookie sat up on the edge of the bed in closest to the window, the opposite side of the shelf. Sookie hummed a melody softly to herself as she slowly stood up, as she took in her surroundings she noticed that something wasn't quite right, it appeared as though something was missing, moving her covers Sookie looked on her dresser and atop her desk by the window.

Sookie placed her hands on her hips as she thought. "Hmmm…." Suddenly a thought struck her, falling to her knees as she peered underneath her bed as she finally found what it was that she was looking for. "There you are Freddie." She smiled happily as she hugged the raggedy bear to her chest. "Let's go downstairs and get something to eat."

Sookis rushed downstairs with the stuffed bear in tow. Once she reached the bottom she paused momentarily, her parents were arguing. It wasn't anything new , though she hated it all the same. Sookie padded slowly toward the kitchen. Her mother was about to speak when she looked down and saw Sookie by the door. Her mother smiled as her tears flowed freely down her cheeks. Sookie's father turned around to look at her. She flashed him a small smile as Mrs Stackhouse walked passed her husband and knelt down in front of her daughter, sniffling. "Mummy's going to g-get your, uh food i-in a minute okay? A-and we'll talk about your seventh birthday bext, okay honey? You just…go back upstairs ok?" She stuttered as she tried to hold back the fresh wave of tears . Sookie slowly nodded, clutching Freddie to her chest. She hugged her mother, trying to make her feel better. Standing on the tips of her toes she kissed her mother's forehead softly, smiling softly as she turned around and made her way back up the stairs.

Sookie pulled out her tea party set and placed Freddie in the seat opposite her, fixing her nightgown as she sat and started to talk to Freddie. Half an hour went by before Sookie made her way back downstairs with Freddie held tightly in her arms. As she walked into the kitchen, she realised that nobody was here, not even the food that her mother had promised. Sookie sighed as she made her way towards the fridge, opening the door as she did so to examine its contents. We need to go to the shop soon, she thought as she pulled out a jug half full of milk. Sookie placed the milk on the counter as she looked up at the cupboard containing the bowls, plates and cups. Instead of getting the step stool, Sookie placed Freddie on the counter under the cupboard and climbed onto the smooth surface. Carefully Sookie removed a bowl from the cupboard, as she suddenly heard footsteps coming down the stairs. "Sookie!"She quickly hopped off the counter, hurting her knee as she stumbled trying to regain her balance. "Yes?" Her father stood on the bottom step, glaring at her as he scanned the kitchen, eyeing the bowl Sookie held in her hand. "You get that out?" Sookie glanced down at the bowl before looking back to her father. "Yes." Mr Stackhouse crossed his arms. "Did you get that by climbing the counter?" he asked before noticing Freddie lying on top of the counter. Mr Stackhouse grunted, walking quickly over to the stuffed animal, grabbing it by the tie around its neck. "Godammit Sookie! I told you to keep your damn animals in the room." Mr Stackhouse walked back over and up the stairs, Sookie frantically following his path up the stairs. He opened the door and through Freddie across the room. Before Sookie could pass him to reach Freddie, Mr Stackhouse grabbed Sookie by the neck of her dress. "And next time," he said in a low voice "I'm burning it." Mr Stackhouse let go of her dress, pushing her into the room. "I'll get your food…" He turned around sighing, as he made his way back down the stairs.

Sookie's eyes began to fill with tears as she turned back, rushing over to Freddie, falling to her knees as she cradled Freddie to her chest as she wept.


	3. Alyssa

Later that evening, Sookie came back up the stairs from the lunch she had made by herself, for herself. She placed Freddie on her bed and hopped up to lay beside him, as she turned to look over at her shelf, she noticed something rather odd, she notice that one of her beloved dolls were gone. She sat up, a frown marring her face, climbing off the bed in search of the missing doll. Alyssa was gone. _I don't remember playing with her…_.she thought as she began her search her room as she had once done for Freddie; alas it was not meant to be, for Alyssa was not here, however undeterred she decided to go and try her luck elsewhere, leaving Freddie where he lay atop her bed.

She hopped off the last step and made her way into the living room; coming to a halt under the arch way, sighing she once again took up her search for her missing friend. Scanning the room to figure out where to start, she did a double take and stopped with her perusal as she looked over at the couch. Sookie took a cautious step forward, noticing the top of what appeared to be a person's head. Alyssa she thought, smiling, triumphant that she had finally been found, however when Sookie went to pick Alyssa up, she noticed something else rather peculiar; Alyssa's head was turned, looking and pointing towards a painting that hung over the mantle. It's just a picture, there was nothing that deemed it special our significant in any way, however Sookie examined the painting all the same, before glancing back at Alyssa. What happened next is another story…Alyssa tilted her head to look up at a stunned Sookie. She was shocked, blinking rapidly, cursing her over-active imagination, wishing for the vision to dissipate from her mind. It didn't. Sookie hastily picked up Alyssa, clutching her tightly to her chest, refusing to believe what she had seen.

Heading back up the stairs, her legs shook in the thought of what had just occurred. Now safely ensconced in her room, Sookie walked over and placed Alyssa back on the shelf. Four shelves, four dolls on each shelf; Sookie said to herself as she mindlessly fixed Alyssa's dress, before turning around, to look at Freddie from where he lay on her bed. Tilting her head Sookie glanced at Freddie's neck. _Something doesn't seem right_ she thought, turning back around too look at the shelf of dolls. Sookie was breathless upon seeing Freddie's bow sitting in Alyssa's lap. "How did it get there" a voice from behind her asked. Sookie spun on her heel to look at her bed to see Freddie looking passed her at Allison. Sookie screamed and ran as fast as he legs could carry her to her parents' room. There she found her father lying on the bed and hearing her mother getting out from finishing her shower. "What is it? her father asked, rather confused as to why she had ran in in fright. "My dolls! They moved! They've been moving." Sookie shouted, on the verge of tears. Mrs Stackhouse adjusted her towel and walked over to her six year old daughter. "What do you mean my love?" as Sookie pointed towards her room. "They...they moved! The dolls! By the- themselves!", Sookie paused, gasping for air once she had finished. Her mother kneeled down, giving her daughter a reassuring hug. "Sookie that's all in your head, dolls can't move, sweetheart, her mother exclaimed, smiling at the girls overactive imagination. "B-but I saw them! Please you have to believe me!" Sookie stuttered, trying to make her parents understand. "Sookie just go away and go play..." her father commanded. Sookie moved to peer past her mother, to glance at her father, sadness abundant in her gaze, as she turned around and left, closing the door behind her.

Later that night after Sookie had gotten ready for bed; she climbed up and into bed just as her mother walked in to tuck her in for the night. Smiling, she kissed Sookie's forehead before wishing her sweet dreams and made her way out of the room. Sookie stared up at the moon lit ceiling above her, when she heard a noise sound out from the darkness that surrounded her, it was coming from behind the painting that hung besides her bed. She froze in fear, afraid that should she turn her head from its current position staring at the picture that something far more sinister would occur. After half an hour of simply staring and coming to the realisation that nothing would be coming to hurt her tonight, she laid back down on her bed, closed her eyes and drifted off into a dreamless sleep, little did she know of the light that emanated from within the dark.


End file.
